So, this is set during the TF/WF crossover, right after my other PR oneshot 'Fist Kiss FINALLY'.
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers. Big shocker, I know.
WORD COUNT: 1759
Wednesday, August 1st, 2002
His head hurt. Eric supposed that was what he deserved for teasing Wes and Jen, but Wes bugged him so much about the Yellow Ranger. No, not the Yellow Ranger he'd known for a while, Katie, the one he'd only met a couple days ago. Taylor.
His ribs hurt a little. He supposed he deserved that, too, for trying to use the blonde as a human shield against Wes's rock. That had failed, anyway - she'd ducked. Now he was out for a vengeance of sorts, chasing her just because she was running. Her long hair, very silky by the looks of it, flew behind her as she easily stayed ahead of him. He'd thought, as a fighter pilot, spending most of her military service sitting in a plane, that she wouldn't be as fast. But no, she was much quicker. As he tripped over a root and nearly fell, catching himself just in time, he discovered another advantage she had - she knew this place much better than he did, and could avoid all the pitfalls.
Still, he ran. It was actually fun, when he thought about it. God knew the last time he ever did something just for amusement, aside from teasing Wes. And Lucas - he knew the Blue Ranger had a thing for Nadira.
Eventually Taylor got so far ahead of him she was just a yellow dot fading into the darkness. Eric finally stopped and bent over, winded. Damn, he needed to work out more, even though he already did so for four hours a day. How could that girl be faster than him? She ran as fast as an eagle could fly - probably why she was the Yellow Eagle Ranger. And why she had to have such a fast car. Of course, it was that car that'd led to their first meeting. When he'd pulled her over for speeding (a task far below a Silver Guardian, but there hadn't been any police around, and all the Mutants had been taken back to the year 3000, so they needed some sort of duty to carry out) he'd thought she was pretty hot. Then, when they'd met again after fighting those Mut-Orgs together, she'd been pretty steamed at him. Okay, so maybe he should have been a little more grateful. After all, she and her team had saved him and Wes. But what could he say? She was even hotter when she was mad, and therefore he liked poking fun at her sometimes, but not to the point of actually trying to hurt her feelings.
He made his way back to the campfire, where Wes and Jen were still cuddling. "You catch her?" Wes asked, grinning madly.
"No. She's faster than she looks." He sat down across from the happy couple.
"Wait a minute. The great Eric Meyers was outrun by a girl? Ow!" Jen had playfully elbowed Wes in the ribs - probably more gently then Taylor had done to him.
"She knows the area very well, obviously. She was able to dodge all those tree branches and roots that got in my way." He knew he sounded like a whiner, but he had to preserve what was left of his dignity. At least he hadn't fallen in the mud - dignity would go right out the window.
"Riiiiiiiiiiight. Anyway, I'm off to bed. 'Night." He gave Jen another peck before getting up and stretching. Jen also stood and went over to the girls' side of the courtyard, where Katie, Alyssa, Nadira, and Princess Shayla were already zoinked out.
Eric continued to sit by the fire, just staring into the flickering shades of red, orange, and yellow.
"Boo."
He nearly jumped, and turned to see Taylor standing directly behind him.
"That didn't scare me," he told her, a little too hastily. She'd actually scared the shit out of him, but he wasn't going to let her know that.
"Uh-huh." She sat next to him, wrapping her arms around her knees. "You know, I would've let you catch me, but I was trying to get my revenge."
"Revenge? You already jabbed my gut."
"Tip of the iceberg, Mr. Quantum Ranger. You're going to have to do better than that if you want to catch up to me."
"You just try." Grinning, Taylor put him in a headlock, which he easily escaped. The little fight turned into just the two of them rolling on the ground like a couple of kids, laughing. It stopped when Eric was hit on the head for the second time that night, this time by a much softer object.
It was a pillow, thrown by a very annoyed Lucas. "If you're going to have your cutesy little wrestling match," the Blue Time Force Ranger snapped, "Do it someplace else. Far, far away."
"Yeah," his Wild Force counterpart, Max, groaned, "I was having this really nice dream about a pink-haired angel." Lucas glared at him for a second, then gestured to have his pillow back. Eric handed it to him and watched it whip through the air and hit another target. "What?!"
Eric couldn't help but roll his eyes at how defensive Lucas could get over Nadira. Of course, if anyone had expressed interest in Taylor, he'd knock their teeth out. Yes, he liked her. He liked her tenacity, her fighting skills, and of course there was just something that just clicked between them.
"Eric," she whispered into his ear, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he whispered back, suddenly forgetting everything else.
"When this is all over, how'd you like to go for a coffee or something, just you and me?"
"What, like a date?"
"You could say that."
"Sure. But it better not be that flavored crap everyone's drinking these days."
"What's wrong with flavored?"
"Coffee should just be coffee, plain and simple. If it's too hot, then a little milk's fine. If it's bitter, some sugar's okay. But that's it."
"Whatever. So is it a yes, or not?"
He sighed. Damn, she was stubborn. "Yes."
"All right. I'm turning in. Goodnight." She disentangled herself from him - Eric felt a little disappointed that they couldn't stay in that position for a little while longer - and left.
Eric heard a snicker behind him and saw Trip holding out his fist. "Smooth," the Xybrian commented. Although it wasn't exactly the sort of thing he did, Eric returned the fist bump. God, he must be tired. Or maybe thinking of Taylor had messed up his mind.
Saturday, August 4th, 2002
"Try it."
"No."
"Try it."
"No."
"Try it."
"No."
"Try it!"
"No!"
"Pleeeaaase?"
They were at the coffee shop, just like they'd arranged. It was her favourite place to get her morning dose of caffeine. This one had every flavouring imaginable, and she tried a different one every day. Taylor was smart enough to have prepared herself. She'd secretly asked Wes what Eric's favourite flavours were, and eventually decided on Peppermint Mocha. She'd never pinned Eric as the type who liked peppermint. If Wes had been lying, she'd knock his teeth out. She didn't care what Jen would do in response. Taylor had made sure to get there at least five minutes earlier than Eric, and ordered him one. Because of the summer heat, though, she'd gotten iced coffee instead of the regular heated kind.
"No."
"Oh, come on. One sip. It's Peppermint Mocha."
"Even more of a reason not to have it. I hate peppermint."
"Damn, Wes is going to get it."
"Wes? You asked him what flavor of this stuff to get me? You planned this?"
"What, is the Big, Bad Quantum Ranger too scared to try something new?"
"I'm not scared."
"Then try it."
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cuz flavored coffee is for wimps."
She frowned. Wimps? "You calling me a wimp?" She defiantly took the cup and sipped it, smacking her lips.
"N-no, no, I didn't mean it that way."
"Then try it."
"No. No, no, no."
"Okay, then." She set the cup on his right hand, which was lying flat on the table, and placed her own brimming cup on his left. Now, if he moved, they would spill all over him.
"And the point of this is...?"
"You've got to drink it, all of it, or you'll get it everywhere."
He actually pouted. "Now, that's just not fair."
Taylor smirked and leaned back in her chair, watching him. "I can wait all day," she stated, "Unless some Org starts causing trouble."
"So I just have to wait until an Org is running loose, which from what I hear, happens about every day, and then you'll let me go?"
"No, stupid. I'll just leave you here. Unless you can drink a full cup."
"You're crazy."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." She grabbed two straws and plunked one in each cup. "That should help."
They argued for ten minutes, until Eric finally gave in. He looked from the cup on his left hand to the cup on his right, to Taylor, and the clock on the wall. He seemed deep in thought. "What flavor's this other one?"
Taylor smiled. Did this mean a victory? "Blue Raspberry."
"They make that flavor?"
"Just pick one."
With an expression similar to a child about to take some cough medicine, Eric bent down and took a sip of the Blue Raspberry. He swirled it around in his mouth before swallowing. Taylor held her breath. "Not bad." He tried the Peppermint Mocha, but spit it out. "Very bad." He turned back to the Blue Raspberry and started drinking all of it.
Not about to let him have it all - after all, that one was hers, and she hadn't tried it yet - Taylor reached over and pinched the straw. "Let me have some," she insisted.
Mouth still over the straw, Eric shook his head.
"Give it." He started trying to suck more out, with no success. Taylor leaned over and tried to shove his head out of the way, but realised only a second too late that it was a trap. As she leaned in, he planted one right on the lips. Her first instinct was to duck back, but Taylor resisted, for at least ten seconds.
THE END